July 4, 2014 in Yellow Springs

The annual Fourth of July parade will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday. The lineup for the parade will begin at 2 p.m. on the circular drive behind Friends Care Community, and the parade will travel from Friends Care, down Xenia Avenue and end at the Bryan Center. All are invited to watch, or participate in, the parade.

Fireworks will commence at Gaunt Park at sunset. Before the fireworks display, the YS Community Band will play at 8 p.m., and hotdogs and drinks will be sold. Parking will be largely unavailable at Gaunt Park; those intending to watch the fireworks are advised to walk from home or to park at YSHS and walk. In the event of rain, the Community Band will perform at Mills Lawn.

In case of extreme heat, take precautions and bring plenty of liquids. Know the signs of heat exhaustion or stroke, which include profuse sweating, weakness, nausea, vomiting, headache, lightheadedness and muscle cramps. EMT crews will be in attendance along the parade route as well as at Gaunt Park.

Groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds from operations at the former Vernay Laboratories production facilities on Dayton Street has spread eastward across Wright Street and Suncrest Drive. Soil contamination at the site is concentrated in an area near the two former plants, where chlorinated solvents used to degrease metal parts were disposed, and at the front of a property, where a common pesticide was used. SG-15D is the soil gas well whose fall 2016 high test results were alarming to the oversight firm EHS. (Map generated using data and maps from Vernay and EHS Technology Group)